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Tesla Warranty Documents / Guide on escalating issues / UK Consumer Law / How to report faults to DVSA / How to take issues to Small Claims Court or Money Claim Online

Last modified: 2023-03-14

9 min(s) read

This page is split into 11 sections:

  1. All warranty documents for all cars built from 2014 to today
  2. All Vehicle Purchase Agreements 2017 onwards
  3. Roadside / Extended Warranty Documents
  4. Email addresses, phone numbers & managers names for service centres
  5. What protection do owners have under UK law
  6. How to escalate an issue with Tesla UK Management
  7. Letter Example
  8. List of recalls on Tesla products/parts
  9. How to report faults that should be recalled in your opinion to the DVSA
  10. How to take issues to small claims court (if you’ve exhausted all of the above)
  11. Do you require legal advice? (free* for paid members)

Note: If you’re looking for user manuals of emergency guides visit this page


Warranty Documents

Tesla over the years have changed the warranty documents and wording, because of this we’ve done our best to collate these for those owners that have had their documents changed within their accounts. A good method to compare how the warranty documents have changed is to use Adobe Acrobat Compare Files feature. We’ve also noticed some owners not aware of their consumer rights when they buy a new or used car so we’ve also added some information on that as well.

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2021 onwards…

Effective March 2021 to…

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2020 onwards…

Effective 29th January 2020 to March 2021

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2019 to 2020

Effective Feb 1st 2019 to 28th January 2020

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2018 to 2019

Effective July 2018 to January 31st 2019

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2017 to 2018

Effective April 24th, 2017 to July 2018

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – 2015 to 2016

Effective from 2015 to 2016 onwards to most likely April 24th, 2017

This is for Model X but it should be the same for Model S

New Vehicle Limited Warranty – Unknown

Effective from Unknown to most likely April 24th, 2017

Used Vehicle Warranty 2015


Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – July 2022 – Europe v. 20220718 en_GB

Download Now!

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – October 2020 – v. 20201019 en_GB

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – August 2019 – v. 20190329 en_GB

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – March 2019 – v. 20181030 en_GB

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – September 2017 – v. 20170619

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – January 2017 – v. 20131004 en_GB

Motor Vehicle Order Agreement – September 2016 – v. 20131004 en_GB

Download Now!

 

Roadside / Extended Warranty Documents / Loan Car / Other

Annual Service Inspection Checklist

Tesla Roadside Assistance (undated but downloaded Jan 2020)

Tesla AXA Mechanical Breakdown Insurance / Extended Warranty

Loan car agreement 2018


What UK Law covers my purchase?

You’re generally entitled to a repair or replacement, free of charge if you bought the car new less than 6 years ago (or 5 years in Scotland).

Whilst the Tesla warranty documents linked above provides you with fairly clear guidance on what is and isn’t covered it’s important to remember that all cars sold in the UK are ALSO covered under UK law, in particular:

These rights/acts make it clear that:

  1. You have the right to ask for a full refund in the first 30 days after buying any product that proves to be faulty, including new and used cars.
  2. You have the right that any vehicle must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. To be of satisfactory quality, a car must not be faulty or broken when purchased, and it must be of a standard that a reasonable person would expect, taking into account its age and mileage if it’s secondhand. An older car with more miles on its clock isn’t expected to be as good as a newer one with a lower mileage, although both should be roadworthy, reliable and of a quality consistent with their age and the price paid. The car should be fit for the purpose for which it’s been supplied; you must be able to use the vehicle for the purposes that you would normally expect from a vehicle this includes any specific purpose you tell Tesla you want to use it for prior to buying it or which Tesla has advertised or gleaned from your conversation. So if you’ve told Tesla you want to tow a caravan, the car should be capable of doing this. It should also match any description you were given of it, or any model shown to you when you bought it.

If a vehicle turns out not to be of satisfactory quality, the solution will depend on the time that has passed and the nature of the fault – at this point, it’s probably best to send a letter to Tesla outlining the issues (see below) and/or seek legal advice.

To learn more visit:

Tesla are currently not registered with an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service that you can contact so the only option is to send them a letter.


Escalating an issue with Tesla UK Management / Sending a letter

  1. From Tesla UK Management: “If you have a concern with either your vehicle or the service we have delivered, please raise this straight away with one of our Advisors or the Service/Store Manager at one of our Tesla locations, as they are best placed to address your concerns and put matters right.”
  2. You can also call Tesla on UK: 01628 450 660
  3. If you’ve raised an issue with the service centre manager and you deem the response inadequate then you can escalate an issue you can email Tesla on: ContactUK@tesla.com – using our letter template might help but failing that ensure you cover the following:
    1. Your name
    2. Contact information
    3. Vehicle identification number (VIN)
    4. Name/location of the Tesla Store and/or Tesla Service Center nearest you
    5. Vehicle delivery date
    6. Current mileage
    7. Description of your concern / clearly stating your case
    8. What outcome you would like to see
    9. A timescale for resolution with reference to any additional costs you face or may face if this matter isn’t suitably addressed in a timely manner
    10. Include information about the UK law that covers your purchase (see above)

If that fails to get a suitable response you would escalate via recorded letter to:

Tesla Motors Ltd, 197 Horton Road, West Drayton, England, UB7 8JD

Ensuring that you provide all the details as listed above, alongside your reasoning for a warranty claim that falls outside of the Tesla standard warranty.

A letter (could also be sent via email) example

Dear Tesla Motors Ltd,

I’m writing to you about the Tesla Model XXXX (YEARVIN: XXXX I bought from you for £XXXX on DATE

The vehicle has EXPLAIN ISSUE

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 / Sales of Goods Act 1979 [Delete as appropriate] makes it an implied term of the contract I have with Tesla Motors Ltd that goods be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality.

As you are in breach of contract and I’ve owned the vehicle for less than 6 years (or 5 years in Scotland), I am within my statutory rights to ask for a repair at no further cost to me.

I look forward to hearing from you within 14 days with details of how you plan to resolve this matter.

Yours sincerely,

NAME
EMAIL


Do we have a list of recalls on Tesla products/parts?

https://www.tesla.com/support/annual-and-recall-service?redirect=no


Reporting to DVSA / Small Claims Court / Money Claim Online Tool

If you’ve exhausted the above but still believe your problem should be better addressed you should consider:

Note: Each individual case could be different so it’s worth spending some time reading up on the law, understanding your problem and seeking proper legal advice first before proceeding. 

  1. Reporting the issue to the DVSA if the fault is dangerous, they will then investigate the claim and speak with Tesla and push for a recall if applicable.
  2. If you believe you have a case against Tesla, take them to the Small Claims Court https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money
  3. or use Money Claim Online (Government Tool) https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk

Do you require legal advice/support?

In the hopefully unlikely situation where the above hasn’t worked, we’ve partnered with a London Law Firm so any UK Tesla owners with problems that cannot be solved by the above can seek proper legal advice from an organisation who can legally advise and if you’re a paid supporter they will also provide a 10-minute free consultation. Details can be found here.

Do you have the expertise? Share your knowledge!

Remember modifying your vehicle may invalidate part of your vehicle’s warranty.
Therefore, be careful and check with Tesla if unsure. Also any modifications will most likely need to be OK’d with your car insurance company.

To the best of our knowledge, these guides are correct and factual. However we take no responsibility if something does go wrong.

If you spot a mistake please ensure you alert us.